It was a very nice Sunday morning. Everyone was either still dreaming on their comfortable beds or already up exercising outside to enjoy the fine weather. But Gong Seungyeon was not ‘everyone’. She had to get up early to do her assignment due the next day. And since her university didn’t have a complete collection of books needed, she had to go to the national library quite far from her place. She could only pout and sigh when she found out about that fact from the school librarian not too long ago.

So there she was at the huge (not to mention, empty!) library that was very unfamiliar since it was her first visit. It was inevitable that she got lost several times before she finally found some seats with a stack of books in hand. Somehow she dreaded the time when she would return home later. She should find someone so they could get out together and that said someone should be one who knew their way around the library. She would hate to be lost again; or even worse, when the clock would show past noon or later.

A shiver ran down her spine causing her to slightly tremble on her seat. Focus, she told herself as she opened one of the books in front of her and started her research. Full attention was essential at the time so she could finish quickly and leave the still vacant library before the sun moved further to the west and disappeared.

She was typing up a new piece of information when out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone walking nearby. Footsteps were nearing her location and they stopped across from her. A hand was reached out as if asking for something so she looked up. It was a very handsome – no, that’s an understatement – gorgeous man with a dimple in plain sight as he plastered a smile.

“Yes?” she whispered, remembering where she was. She was in the zone and getting kicked out of the place would be a waste.

“Mind if I sit here?”

“Oh,” she simply said, clearly noting that everywhere else was available. She was literally the only one in the area, so why did he have to get the seat in front of her where he could sit somewhere else?

“Is that okay?” he prompted patiently.

Seungyeon blinked her eyes in confusion. But at the sight of a wider smile from him melted her heart and she could do nothing but nod. The young man grinned one more time before he sat right in front of her. It took her some time to realise she’s staring before she continued on her work. Focus, Gong Seungyeon.

But it was short-lived. She was barely on a new page of the document when a small piece of paper flew to the side of her laptop. At first, she chose to ignore it because if she so much stopped her current action, the idea inside her head might vanish and more time would be required to retrieve it back. But the guy pushed the note even closer to her with a pen and when she finally turned away from her device, a hopeful look was etched on his face.

“Do you want some chocolate?” was written on the memo and she swallowed her saliva in reflex. To be frank, she was kind of hungry. Her stomach hadn’t made any noise yet but she was sure the time would come soon.

Another thing was thrown at her and this time it was a real chocolate bar. It was untouched and new, still unopened yet. Once again, felt watery. She was tempted to say yes and take some, but they just met. The chocolate might be poisoned or expired even. She knew nothing about that guy; he might even be a stalker or something.

But his smile was comforting and it made her realise that she was making up weird scenarios inside her head. Maybe he was a nice guy after all.

So in the end, she decided to trust him for the time being. She then caught the memo and turned it around to reveal an empty space. She wrote a simple thank you, complete with a smile emoticon and pushed it nearer to him. Once there was a nod indicating that she should take it, she opened the wrap and cut some. When her tongue tasted the chocolate, it felt like heaven and she might have hummed in satisfaction because there was a barely audible snort coming from the guy in front of her.

This is so embarrassing.

Almost immediately, a note came soaring by again. She knew who the sender was without looking up as she thought that she would really get lost on that deep dimple otherwise; not that she’s going to admit that out loud. Out of curiosity and politeness, she took the paper and started reading it. It said, “Just take the whole bar. I still have another.”

Heat formed on her face and neck as blush came creeping in. Did she look that hungry? Was she very obvious? She was torn between shaking her head no and accepting the offer. The chocolate was very delicious, she thought, but she didn’t want to seem so greedy in front of him especially since it was their first meeting.

The tick-tocks of a nearby clock were heard in the distant, making her realise that time was moving despite feeling the opposite. It must have been some moment since he last offered the snack and stressing about it more would seem strange. So eventually, she made up her mind and hesitantly took the bar even if her face felt like it could burst into flames. She knew he was watching her every move so her head was bowed down the entire time, avoiding his eyes.

“I’m Jonghyun. You? :)” was written on a new paper and it landed beside her device so softly like a flower that had been blown by a breeze.

She turned her head to the side at the movement and her eyes blinked slowly to let the question sink in. It was her first time to come across a person so blunt and forward like him. It was a shock especially since they were at the library where it was supposed to be a silent and vacant venue. She was supposed to do her research and finish everything there so she could relax once she’s back at the comfort of her home. But judging by the constant interruption, she would be lucky if she could at least write the title of the last chapter of the report.

“I’m Seungyeon,” she wrote quickly and returned it to him, keeping her attention fixed on the laptop. It was rude of her, she was fully aware of that, but she didn’t go there to make a new friend, no matter how attractive he could be. The sole purpose was the assignment and it was nagging at her in the corner of her mind, causing her to reluctantly send her thanks for the reminder.

But this Jonghyun guy was one persistent man and stopping to bother her was most probably the furthest thing on his mind. Once again, he presented a new memo and on it was a compliment that caught Seungyeon completely off guard. This time, she couldn’t help but look up in a surprise and found herself staring at a very lovely smile etched on his face.

The compliment was “a beautiful name for a beautiful face” and it was one of the most straightforward things she had ever heard in her whole life. For someone who just introduced themselves to a stranger, he was very bold. The shock earlier still existed (it was much greater now) and as a result, she couldn’t stop the blush from emerging. It was to be expected after all.

Time flew without her consent. It was almost lunch time and her stomach had been making strange noises for a while. She had to get out of there to get something to eat soon before her seatmate heard anything. She wouldn’t want to embarrass herself even further. Enough was enough.

But before her mouse could even hover to the Start button to shut the laptop down, yet another note was shoved under her nose. She was this close to sending him a glare for not leaving her alone but she swallowed that wish (even though it was the most difficult task at the moment as she was still so far away from being done with her work) and read the memo instead. It said, “Let’s eat lunch together. If you don’t mind, that is.”

And once again, the barely faded away blush presented itself at the sudden offer. She didn’t know what to do, except just stare at the paper. Maybe if she had superpowers, her eyes would have burnt it to leave a hole or even down to ashes.

Maybe it would be best like that, leaving no trace of the evidence. She really had no idea what to respond to him.

“You don’t have to accept my suggestion if you don’t want to.”

Her eyes left the paper to look at the guy’s face. And it wasn’t a good idea, she discovered right soon after. His basically everything seemed mesmerising for her, especially that deep voice of his. Yes, he did say something – some things – a few hours ago, but she put too much attention into her work to realise (remember, more like) how he sounded like. It didn’t help that it was husky, for lack of use.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” he continued, putting on such a soft smile that she almost melted into a pudding right there and then. “You look kind of hungry, that’s why.”

And she just stared at him, contemplating what to answer. Yes, he had been annoying ever since he took a seat right in front of her. But it wasn’t to the point of her leaving the library; it was still tolerable. And he had even given her some chocolate, a delicious one at that. She’s still alive, if that counted as a plus.

In the end, she decided to agree to his proposition. She could trust him for one more time. If there was any suspicious move, she could just run away and leave him behind. It’s a small world indeed, but it would be impossible for him to find her address with no knowledge of her surname.

“So, what do you have in mind?” she dared herself to ask once they were outside the library and turn towards him who was surprisingly taller than expected. But he didn’t immediately answer; instead, he was just smiling at her. And it caused her blush to come uninvited yet again. “Wh-what is it? Is there something on my face?” Her free hand shot to the said face and attempted to brush anything it could reach. It couldn’t be the chocolate?!

“Nothing other than the normal features.” If possible, his grin grew wider. “It’s just that your voice is beautiful too.”

Maybe she should have just turned him down and gone the other way. His bluntness was too much for her to handle. But for some reason, she couldn’t. She might even like it, she admitted to herself though bashfully. And so, she looked back to the road ahead of her with the redness still visible, not caring if anyone could see.

THE END

--

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it :) Please don't forget to comment ^^